Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District board members are calling on the federal government to kill plans to stop staffing two lightstations on the west coast of Vancouver Island this fall.
Board members voted Wednesday to send an emergency motion to the Union of B.C. Municipalities seeking support in its quest to keep lightkeepers at Carmanah Point and Pachena Point. The goal is to have UBCM delegates consider this motion at their Sept. 16 to Sept. 20 convention in Vancouver.
“There’s quite a swell of people who are opposed to the destaffing of lighthouses there,” said board chair John Jack, also known as Sayaač̓atḥ.
Jack, who is chief of the Huu-ay-aht First Nation, said the nation supports halting the destaffing plan right away to allow for proper consultation and review.
Some members of the nation have “literally been saved” by lightkeepers who spotted a capsized vessel, Jack said.
A resolution passed to call upon Fisheries and Oceans Minister Diane Lebouthillier, the Canadian Coast Guard commissioner and coast guard management to halt any plans to shut down lightstations and to maintain the essential level of staffing at the two stations in question as well as all locations on the entire coast.
Further, the board voted to send the matter to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to consider immediately.
The regional district is also turning to the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities for assistance in rallying support.
Penny Cote, board director for Electoral Area D, Sproat Lake, recommended making an appointment with a provincial official attending the convention next month to discuss the issue.
The coast guard, part of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, announced at the end of July that it decided to pull lightkeepers from Carmanah Point and Pachena Point light stations — four staff in total — before winter weather sets in.
A geotechnical investigation and geological hazard assessment found that many buildings at both sites fall inside an area considered to have “increased vulnerability.”
Some facilities are not safe to use because of poor soil conditions, the coast guard said.
The coast guard will continue to operate navigational aids from both sites using technologies such as solar power and automated lights.
Lightkeepers will be offered jobs at other light stations or within the coast guard. There was no mention of closing lightstations.
Lightkeeper advocates disagree with the coast guard’s assessment of the sites, saying it is based on old reports.
They say staffed stations are necessary in an area called the Graveyard of the Pacific where heavy storms, fog and dangerous waters are common along the rugged coastline.
Jim Abram, a former UBCM president and former lightkeeper, praised the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District for voting to make it clear to the minister and the coast guard that it favours retaining lightkeepers at a time when vessel traffic is continually rising. It “makes my heart sing.”
Lightkeepers are a safety net to mariners, aviators and hikers on the West Coast trail, he said. They deliver up-to-date, accurate weather information.
Two petitions are underway: One to the House of Commons at ourcommons.ca, and one from the Union of Canadian Transportation Employees at unioncte.ca/ccg-dont-destaff-light-stations.
